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Speed Kills Your Golf Swing
Would you say you have a fast looking swing or a slow swing? (If
you don't have a fast swing show this article to a playing
partner who does). You would think that a recreational golfer's
fast swing would hit a golf ball a long way wouldn't you? After
all, it looks fast! Yet the ball doesn't go as far as a slow
swinging pro's ball. I wonder why...
If you think about your body for a minute, you know that it
moves much slower than your arms in real life. So if your body
can't turn all that fast, how do you get a fast looking golf
swing? You get a fast looking golf swing when you try to hit the
ball as hard as you can with just your arms. This means that
your arms are moving independently from your body.
This fast looking swing can be understood by imagining a clock.
If you look at a clock, you will see that the little post in the
middle tells the minute hand how fast to swing. If the little
post moves slowly, the minute hand moves slowly. If the little
post moves faster, the arms move faster. The center post and the
minute hand are relative to one another. If you compare your
golf swing to the movement of a clock you will see your body as
the center post on the clock and your arms as the minute hand.
Having a fast looking swing would be like the little center post
of the clock turning slowly yet the minute hand is moving very
fast. This, of course, would never happen because they are
connected to one another.
What happens to your shots when your arms outpace your body?
First, won't make solid contact with the sweet spot on the
clubface because swinging with your arms alone will cause you to
manipulate the clubface as it swings through impact.
Secondly, the harder you swing, the tighter your wrists and arms
will be through impact. Tighter wrists release slower than
looser wrists and looser arms extend more than tighter arms
(which increase the width of your swing arc).
To slow down a fast looking golf swing, we first have to think
logically about it. Pros have a slow looking swing and they hit
the ball a long way and you have a fast swing that hits the ball
shorter. So why do you insist on hitting the ball harder than
the pros do?Unfortunately, human nature usually takes control of
us when we go to hit a golf ball. It says that the harder you
swing the further the ball will go. This does not allow us to
see the logic behind swinging slower. Swinging slower feels like
you have less power so you cannot see how you can actually hit
the ball better and farther by not using your arms. You must
convince yourself that you must swing slower to hit the ball
better. Once you slow down, you will make better contact in the
middle of the clubface, widen your arc and release the club
faster. All of these things add up to more distance with less
effort.
I like my students to try this drill in order to take the arms
out of their swing. All you have to do is hold the club at about
waist high and feel your body swing the clubhead. Remember the
clock. If the post turns faster the arms swing faster. As you
swing, listen to the swishing sound the clubhead is making as it
swings through impact. Now, try to make the club swing faster by
shifting your body weight from the right leg to the left leg
allowing your body to turn at the same time. If you let your
arms swing freely you will hear the club swish faster as you
increase the speed of your body.
As you go to hit the actual golf ball, you must relate the same
new feeling of using your body to hit your shot. This means that
you cannot think of hitting the ball. If you think about hitting
the ball, it will speed up your arms up again. You have to now
think about turning and shifting your body weight. This will
turn your body and allow your arms to swing down because they
are connected to one another. If you feel your swing getting
fast again just step back, hold the club off the ground and do
some more practice swings feeling your body making the club
swing. It takes some practice and concentration but once you
slow your swing down you will not only gain a feeling of
effortless power but you will start to look like a pro when you
swing.
Paul Wilson
About the author:
Paul Wilson is the author, and creator, of Swing Machine Golf
which teaches people how to copy the perfect swing of the Iron
Byron swing machine. Please visit http://www.paulwilsongolf.com
or http://www.swingmachinegolf.com for more information.
Written by: Paul Wilson
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